The Great Resignation is upon us. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics says over four million employees quit their jobs in July 2021 alone, amounting to a 2021 total record-breaking 11 million available jobs.
To attract top-quality candidates to your Certified B Corporation™, communicate your values to potential employees. For mission-driven impact firms, employees are key stakeholders and they want to know how your organization will apply the business as a force for the good concept that fosters a healthy work environment.
This begins at the recruiting stage and can involve your website and social media platforms, and threads through to daily operations via internal policies and culture.
Did you know that 98% of workers surveyed at Certified B Corporations indicate they are highly satisfied at work? This, according to a recent B Impact Assessment survey, proves that attracting the right talent is vital to a B Corp’s mission because happy, productive employees add to profits. And, according to the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School, researchers found that happy employees are 13% more productive.
Low employee turnover and happier employees mean satisfied customers and higher profits. What’s better than that?
I recently completed a B Corp marketing assessment for a company that did many things well but still had room for improvement in this all-important piece of the B Impact Assessment. Today’s workers want more than free lunch and a pool table. All indications are that the workforce wants to continue to work from home, so these perks, once on the cutting edge, now matter little.
Here’s what matters these days and how you can harness this power to your competitive advantage:
1- Add a “Work with us” section to your website. Words are important here, be sure to use ‘with’ not ‘for’ and don’t fall into the trap of using old terminology such as “Careers” or “Open Jobs” — it has to be more meaningful than that. In this section, add language that speaks to your culture and what it’s like to work at B Corp.
Even when there is no open position, language such as “We’re always looking to connect with passionate, talented professionals” will go a long way. And be sure not to put up roadblocks or create friction. A short form asking for basic information and a resume is all you need. And, don’t perpetuate ghosting! Please…program a respectful bounce-back message to their email acknowledging their interest in working with you.
You never know when a unique project might come along when a particular skill set is needed. So tapping into this pool of talent is the pipeline you need.
2- To the extent possible, every employee’s headshot along with their title and a short bio paragraph should appear on the “About us” page. This shows that each employee is a valued member of your team. And, don’t forget the all-important office pets. I’ve seen so many of these and I always chuckle. My own Chief Kitten Officer has her rightful place on my Meet Us page.
I’ve recently seen employees listed in alphabetical order, and the C-level staff is integrated in the same way. In other words, no preference is given to putting their name at the top.
Another way to do this is by function, so that manufacturing is a section, as might be marketing, customer service, or finance. These, too, should be arranged in alphabetical order by function.
3- Post your Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion statement
4- When actively recruiting, job listings should include the position’s salary range. Sure, there are websites where candidates can research this for similar jobs. However, most of these are geography-based. In today’s remote and work-from-home environment, it’s essential that you not cause friction or frustrate prospective employees for something so easy to do.
5- Many B Corps offer benefits that go above and beyond the standard health insurance packages. For example, if your organization provides innovative benefits such as paid time off for volunteering, paternity leave, paid professional development, microloans, etc., you’ll want to list these.
6- Use your social channels to their best advantage. This can include featuring employees on your LinkedIn page or other media. And, if you have a presence on Glass Door, encourage employees to post reviews. To note: if, on occasion, there’s a negative review, be sure to address it publicly and then handle it privately.
7- Add the B Corp explanation to any public-facing job postings because it is your competitive advantage to appeal to top talent. As of this writing, there are just over 4100 B Corps in 77 countries, so the number, while still small, is increasing. This new business structure isn’t yet well known to many candidates (or the general public at large) and this presents an opportunity for great marketing messaging and bragging rights.
Once employees are on board, create internal policies that foster a healthy work environment. Small things such as giving everyone their birthday off and being transparent will go a long way.
As the general public’s awareness of B Corps grows, and as more verticals within B Corp become crowded, savvy advertising of your organization to qualified candidates means you’ll have a better chance at attracting and keeping the passionate, high-caliber employees who value what you stand for and will propel your mission forward.